Adolphe Stoclet was a wealthy Belgian engineer, financier, and noted collector, who was married to the daughter of the art critic, historian, collector, and dealer Arthur Stevens (1825–1909) and niece of the painter Alfred Stevens (1823–1906). Through her father and uncle, the Stoclets were connected with avant-garde art circles in Paris. They lived in Italy and especially in Vienna, where they met Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), who designed Stoclet’s famous house in Brussels. Gustav Klimt (1862–1916) painted the murals in its dining room. The Palais Stoclet was the lavish setting for an eclectic art collection that appealed to the latest avant-garde tastes. This included Egyptian and Chinese sculpture; late medieval Italian painting; medieval metalwork, enamels, and relics; Byzantine art; Pre-Columbian art; and Japanese, Cambodian, and Tibetan art.